Another day, another sweet dose of high fructose Plants vs. Zombies 2 tippage. In today’s lesson, the goal is to make stage replays as painless as possible. So sit back and relax while we let the knowledge flow.

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Once a stage has been cleared as part of the main campaign, players have only seen the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to what it has to offer. In order to clear whole worlds, they'll need to re-visit any given area as many as three more times, all in the name of grinding out stars.

One type of mission that's used heavily early on is the limitation of how many plants can be in used at one time. Thankfully there are seeds that are destructible! Be sure to make heavy use of the potato bombs, and this will help keep the plant count down while still maintaining a high level of protection. Additionally, it is also extremely useful to combine cocoanuts, placed as far to the right of the map as possible, with an evolved Peashooter or Bloomerang behind it. The nut will eventually be gnawed through, but not before heavy damage has been unloaded on the troops barricaded behind it.

Another pesky permutation are the “non-trample” assignments, where a line of moss will exist somewhere on the map and the player’s job is to prevent the hallowed ground from being decimated by undead feet. Once again, the cocoanut is the player’s best friend when laid two rows in front of the “no-step zone.” Behind the roadblock, plant some Bonk Chow. This will help deliver a strong one-two punch, as the strikes can hammer away on any zombie feasting on a nut. Thankfully this method will also allow for quick plant replacement should the brain munchers manage to breach the perimeter.

Probably the most irritating of all the challenges involves use of a sun power cap and plant limit, simultaneously. Right out of the gate the key should be using as few sunflowers as possible to race to the power cap, while making use of the low cost bombs as a cheap form of early defense. Once the sun cap has been reached destroy all of the sunflowers, because they are no longer useful and take away from the plants available for productive use. Next is to focus on collections of Bonk Choy, backed by Bloomerangs. This combination will help to pick away at the defense long before the troops ever reach the front lines. Bonks are more than up to the task of cleaning up the riff-raff.

Also, don’t be afraid to make use of a power-up in a pinch. The trick is to pick the correct time to deploy these special abilities. Tune in tomorrow to see just what scenarios best necessitate paying for a little help from the deities of the greenhouse. Until then, remember that there is no shame in having a green thumb if keeps blood off of your hands!